    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [November 1, 2004]
    [Pages 2930-2933]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Dallas, Texas
    November 1, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thank you all for coming. I really
    appreciate you being here. It's great to be back where it all started.
    Tomorrow my fellow Texans are going to the polls to help us start the
    next 4 years.
        Ten years ago when I first ran for Governor, I had my last campaign
    rally in Dallas, and we won. Tonight, after six other stops, I'm having
    my last campaign rally in Dallas, and we're going to win.
        I appreciate all your help and all your hard work. And I've got a
    pretty good feeling that Texas is going to be a red State tomorrow.
    You're going to start a trend.
        I want to thank all our friends who are here tonight. You know,
    we're blessed by having a lot of friends. I want to thank you from the
    bottom of my heart for all you have done for us for so many years and
    what you're going to do tomorrow and for the years ahead. With your
    help, this will be the beginning of a new term to make America a safer
    place, a stronger place, and a better place.
        I've had a fantastic time traveling our country. I love to get out
    amongst the people. I love America. I love its citizens. I've been
    telling people what I intend to do for the next 4 years, but the most--
    probably the most important reason to put me back in is so that
    Laura will be the First Lady for 4 more years.
    She has put her SMU degree to good work.
        And I want to thank Gerald Turner and
    the trustees of SMU and all the SMU students who are here today for
    coming out to say hello. I'll try to keep my speech short so you can get
    back and do your homework. [Laughter] Make sure you vote. Make sure you
    go to the polls.
        One of the greatest things about this campaign is I've had a chance
    to campaign with Barbara and Jenna. I love them dearly. They are fantastic young women. No,
    you can't have their phone number. [Laughter]
        I'm proud of my nephew, George P. Bush,
    and his wife, Mandi. Thanks for coming.
        I've got a great runningmate in Dick Cheney.
    He's done a great job as the Vice President. I'm looking forward to
    working with him for the next 4 years.
        I want to thank my friend Pete Sessions for introducing Laura. It is really important that you send Pete Sessions back
    to the United States Congress.
        I see a lot of friends from the statehouse days. I'm really proud
    that the Governor of the great State of Texas is with us, Rick
    Perry. Thanks for coming, Governor. And the
    Lieutenant Governor, David Dewhurst, is with
    us. Appreciate you coming. I want to thank all the other statehouse
    officials. I know the speaker of the house is with us, Speaker Tom
    Craddick and Nadine. They're from our old hometown of Midland.
        I want to thank the really fine United States Senator from the State
    of Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and the
    other Senator, who is also a really fine United States Senator, John
    Cornyn. I want to thank the Members of the
    Congress who are here, Ralph Hall and Jeb
    Hensarling, Kay Granger, and Michael Burgess. I'm
    proud you all are here.
        Three candidates for the United States Congress who are here who I
    proudly support: Kenny Marchant, running
    for the 24th District; Louis Gohmert,
    running out of CD 1, Congressional District 1 in east Texas. I wish you
    all the best, Louis. And I'm looking forward to having a new
    Congressperson represent me in the Crawford area, and that person is
    going to be Arlene Wohlgemuth.
        I want to thank Toby Keith for being here. It
    means a lot that he's here. It

    [[Page 2931]]

    sounds like he ought to be running. [Laughter] I want to thank Tracy
    Byrd. I want to thank the SMU Mighty Mustang
    Band. Thanks for coming. I want to thank my friend Chuck Norris, who's here.
        Most of all, thank you all for coming. It's been a fantastic day
    traveling around our country. There's no better place to end it than
    right here in big ``D''--Dallas, Texas.
        I understand this about the Presidency: The American President must
    lead with clarity and purpose. The role of the President is not to
    follow the path of the latest polls. The President must not change
    positions for the sake of political convenience. The President must lead
    based on principle and conviction and conscience.
        During these 4 years, I have learned that whatever your strengths
    are, you're going to need them, and whatever your shortcomings are,
    people are going to notice them. [Laughter] Sometimes I'm a little too
    blunt. I get that from my mother. Sometimes I
    mangle the English language. [Laughter] I get that from my father. [Laughter] But all times, whether you agree with
    me or not, you know where I stand, what I believe, and where I'm going
    to lead.
        I have been letting the people know what I intend to do for the next
    4 years. I'm running to make sure this economy stays strong by keeping
    our taxes low and doing something about these lawsuits that are making
    it hard on our small-business owners. I'm running to make sure every
    child can learn and keep the high standards in our public schools so no
    child is left behind in America.
        I'm running to make sure health care is available and affordable,
    and to reduce the cost of medicine and to keep good doctors in practice,
    we've got to get rid of these junk lawsuits that are running up the cost
    of medicine. In all we do to reform health care in Washington, we'll
    make sure the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by
    officials in Washington, DC.
        I believe the President's job is to confront problems, not to pass
    them on to future Presidents and future generations. We've got a problem
    with Social Security. Social Security is fine for those who are now on
    Social Security, and we'll always keep the promise to our seniors.
    Social Security is okay for baby boomers like me and like some others
    out there I see. But we need to worry about our children and our
    grandchildren when it comes to Social Security. I believe younger
    workers ought to be able to take some of their own payroll taxes and set
    up a personal savings account, an account they call their own.
        Over the next 4 years, I'll continue to stand for the values that
    are important to our Nation. I stand for marriage and family, which are
    the foundations of our society. I stand for a culture of life in which
    every person matters and every being counts. And I stand for the
    appointment of Federal judges who know the difference between personal
    opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
        During the course of this campaign, after all the debates and all
    the speeches, it is clear there are big differences between me and my
    opponent. He's from Massachusetts, and I'm
    from Texas. He is a committed liberal, and I am a compassionate
    conservative. He's voted to cut our intelligence budget and major
    weapons systems. I am for a strong national defense. He has promised to
    raise taxes.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And that is generally a promise most politicians
    keep. I'm for keeping your taxes low.
        And we've got a big difference when it comes to protecting the
    American people. The most important job of the American President is to
    protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness
    during these troubling times, this world of ours will drift toward
    tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch. We are steadfast. We
    are resolved. We will

    [[Page 2932]]

    chase the terrorists around the world so we do not have to face them
    here at home.
        There are big differences of opinion about how to protect America.
    During one of our debates, my opponent said
    that America must pass a ``global test'' before we commit troops.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I'm not making that up. [Laughter] I heard him say it. [Laughter] He was standing right about there.
    As far as I can tell, that means this Nation of ours must go to other
    nations to seek permission before we secure our defense.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. In a new term, I will work with our allies and I will
    strengthen our alliances, but I will never turn over America's national
    security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        Now, we have big differences. I have told the families of our
    military and those who wear the uniform they will have all they need.
    The military will have all it needs to complete their missions in
    Afghanistan and Iraq. That's why I went to the Congress and asked for
    $87 billion for supplemental funding in September of 2003. It was
    important funding. It was necessary funding for our troops. And we
    received great bipartisan support. As a matter of fact, my
    opponent first said that it would be
    irresponsible to vote against funding for the troops--until his poll
    numbers went down. [Laughter] And then he actually did the irresponsible
    thing and he voted against funding for our troops.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And then he entered the
    flip-flop hall of fame. And as he entered that hall of fame, he said,
    ``I actually did vote for the 87 billion, before I voted against it.''
    [Laughter] I have spent hours in the coffee shops of Texas. I have never
    heard anybody in this great State talk that way.
        He has given a lot of explanations about
    that vote since then, but I think the most revealing explanation was
    this. He said, ``The whole thing was a complicated matter.'' [Laughter]
    There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    [Laughter]
        We have a difference of--we have a different understanding about
    this war on terror. My opponent says September
    the 11th didn't change him much at all.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Well, September the 11th changed me, and it changed
    my outlook about how to protect you, about how to do my duty to protect
    the American people. I will never forget the day I went to the ruins of
    the Twin Towers. It was September the 14th, 2001. There were workers
    there in hardhats yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it
    takes.'' I remember a man grabbed me by the arm, and he looked me in the
    eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I wake up
    every morning trying to figure out how to better protect our country. I
    will never relent in our Nation's defense, whatever it takes.
        Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
        The President. Fantastic way to win--way to end what has been a
    great campaign. These are historic times. There's a lot at stake in this
    election. The future safety and prosperity of America are on the ballot.
    The truth of the matter is, this election comes down to who do you
    trust? Who do you trust?
        Audience member. You!
        The President. The American people will trust the candidate who can
    see a better day, who can clearly see that you can't lead this Nation
    unless you know where you want to lead it. And I know exactly where I
    want to take this Nation for the next 4 years.
        One of my favorite sayings comes from a fellow Texan, Tom Lea. He
    said, ``Sarah and I live on the east side of the mountain. It is the
    sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to see the day that is
    coming, not to see the day that is gone.'' During

    [[Page 2933]]

    much of this campaign, my opponent has been
    talking about the day that is gone. I'm talking about the day that's
    coming. I'm talking about a better day for every American. I see a day
    where prosperity reaches every corner of our country, a day where every
    child is able to read and write. And I see a day, because we spread
    freedom, that this world becomes more peaceful, and we achieve the peace
    we want for our children and our grandchildren.
        Now, I see a better day. And tomorrow the people of America have a
    chance to bring that better day to all of us by voting for strong,
    confident, optimistic leadership, by sending me and Dick Cheney back to Washington, DC.
        Four years ago when I traveled our country asking for the vote, I
    made a pledge that if I was elected, I would uphold the honor and the
    dignity of the office. Because of your friendship, because of the hard
    work of many people here, because of the votes tomorrow, I will continue
    to uphold the honor and the integrity of the Presidency for 4 more
    years.
        Thank you for coming. God bless. On to victory. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:57 p.m. in the Moody Coliseum at
    Southern Methodist University. In his remarks, he referred to R. Gerald
    Turner, president, Southern Methodist University; Gov. Rick Perry and
    Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst of Texas; Tom Craddick, speaker, Texas State
    House of Representatives, and his wife, Nadine; entertainers Toby Keith
    and Tracy Byrd; and actor Chuck Norris. The transcript released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of the First
    Lady, who introduced the President.